THIS is the terrifying moment a UPS cargo plane exploded in a dramatic fireball during take off, killing at least three.
Hordes of police and fire crews were responding to multiple blazes burning at the edge of Louisville International Airport, Kentucky, and cops reported there are “very significant” injuries.
At least three people died and 11 were injured in the tragedy at around 5:15pm (10.15pm BST), Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said at a press conference on Tuesday night.
He said he expected both of those figures to rise, and that there were some people unaccounted for.
Horror footage shows the UPS plane bound for Honolulu, Hawaii, speeding along the runway at Louisville as it attempts to take off.
Flames can be seen pouring from the left engine area as the pilots press on for the 12-hour journey with almost 150,000 litres of fuel on board.
The plane appears to tip upwards slightly – suggesting the wheels just leave the tarmac – before a colossal fireball mushrooms into the sky.
Another angle from inside the industrial park shows that the plane twisted to its left and skidded along with its right wing pointed upwards.
Authorities said the freight plane smashed through two businesses as it burned – a petroleum recycling plant and a car parts yard – which have reported two employees unaccounted for.
Footage from an adjacent road posted to social media shows the fireball ripping across the land – presumably following the path of the blazing plane.
Broadcast news images show a large trail of flames and a plume of smoke leading from a car park as fire trucks tried to douse the fire.
Governor Beshear said: “Anybody who has seen the images, the video, knows how violent this crash is.”
A shelter in place alert was issued for a five-mile radius just after 5:30pm local time (10.30pm BST), and then expanded to include all areas north up to the Ohio River.
Louisville Metro Police spokesperson Matt Sanders said the force was responding to an active scene with “fire and debris”.
City mayor Craig Greenberg offered his prayers for the victims and said: “There are multiple injuries and the fire is still burning. There are many road closures in the area – please avoid the scene.
“Please pray for the pilots, crew and everyone affected. We will share more soon.”
The US Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that UPS Flight 2976 crashed at around 5:15pm local time (10.15pm BST).
It’s not yet clear exactly what caused the plane to crash, but a source told ABC News that there was an engine issue during the plane’s take-off.
Beshear warned people not to go to the site of the crash.
He said: “There may be people that still need to be rescued. Do not be the reason that the first responders cannot get to them.”
“There are still dangerous things that are flammable, that are potentially explosive.”
The plane that crashed was a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 – a large freight model brought in during the 1990s.
UPS announced in 2023 it planned to retire its MD-11s over the next decade as part of plans to modernise their fleet.
UPS said this evening: “At approximately 5:20 PM ET tonight, UPS Flight 2976 from Louisville, KY, to Honolulu, an MD-11 with three crewmembers onboard, was involved in an accident in Louisville.
“UPS will release more facts as they become available, but the National Transportation Safety Board is in charge of the investigation and will be the primary source of information about the official investigation.”
The airfield at Louisville, also known as Muhammad Ali International, has been closed following the crash, the airport confirmed on X.
Louisville serves as an international hub for UPS.
The shipping service is the largest employer in the city, employing over 20,000 people in the greater Louisville metropolitan area, according to the company’s website.
